Granted it's Purdue, but if I'm in his shoes I have a hard time taking over L-ville at this point in time. The win over Ohio st should have some positive implications and the program is trending up at Purdue. Why leave that to start all over with an athletics program that is mired in scandals?

moving to another school in your division would be a slap in the face, especially now that Dino has Syracuse one win away from being #2 in the division

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

With regards to Petrino, it is crazy when you look at his season-by-season head coaching records. Generally, a very solid to very good record each year, other than a couple outlier seasons. That being said, maybe it was apparent to all involved that he no longer gave a crap / or Papa John's $$ just wanted more wins.

There is no doubt Louisville looked horrible this year. Does anyone believe that it is possible that Lamar Jackson was so obviously the focus for Louisville the last couple years (appeared to just use his freak athletic ability play-to-play) that the rest of the team lost out on the chance to develop?

"Vick, dashing back . . . here he comes again . . . Electrifying . . . and have you ever seen anything like this?"

The coaching carousel will be interesting this year because I can't think of any major splash candidates that are reasonably available. Brohm is a popular candidate but he needs to be pulled away from a P5 job. A reasonable possibility for Louisville given his deep ties, but probably not for many other schools.

I think we could see a lot of hot seat coaches get another year due to the (seemingly) small pool of flashy candidates. However, there is always room for this to change quickly. One huge fire/hire could cause a chain reaction.

the sentiment down here is that he's lost his team. In year one. and that he cannot win them back. EVER. the damage that is occurring is not fixable no matter what the time frame is so its best to move on now than wait and see.

Devil's Advocate: Year One is the year where the team gets lost. With a new coach and massive changes to how the program is being run, the first year is probably the year to clear out the guys who aren't going to be happy. I'd find it hard to believe that a first year coach isn't going to have time to bring in his guys and get it on the right track, especially since this is a familiar pattern in Taggart's coaching experience.

Sounds like you know the scenario far better than I do, but I still think Taggart will be successful there if the admins aren't shortsighted about it.

I honestly have my doubts about Taggart. He has an overall losing record. I recognize that part of that is he turned around WKU and USF. The question is whether his system and staff can compete in the ACC. Florida St. does not lack talent. So that means his concept of "lethal simplicity" is either not lethal or not simple.

Because he's reasonably good on offense, which would be an upgrade over anything we've had in quite some time. I don't really give a shit that he embarrassed himself on a motorcycle with his side piece many years ago. There's plenty of guys that I wouldn't want as the face of my program but I'd be totally fine with as an OC or some other lower staff job. Guys of his stature, meaning coaches with experience that may have been dumped as a HC elsewhere, are where we need to look if you want to boost our staff in positions under Fuente rather quickly. Grabbing some other G5 coaches hoping they grow into the role could leave you waiting for a long time for things to improve. Ideally, I'd like to see the CFB equivalent of a Norv Turner on our staff (older HC that realizes he's probably just better off as an OC) but since those are rare birds, I'd totally be fine with a Petrino or Kingsbury (if he gets canned) or someone like that who might be willing to be an OC for a few years instead of taking a HC job at a lower level barely functioning college football program.

And FWIW, Petrino is not a bad college coach. There are so many many more that are worse than he is.

I know people give him shit for the Baker situation but he's the best quarterback whisper in the country (Keenum, Johnny Football, Baker, Davis Webb, Patrick Mahomes, Michael Brewer). Make him the OC, force him to hire an "OC in waiting" as a position coach when he eventually leaves. Done and done.

Fun Fact: Alabama is 50-2 with two National championships since Joel Klatt declared that "Alabama had a Nick Saban problem," after they lost to Ole Miss (by 6...with 5 turnovers, and a long TD pass that bounced off a defenders head and into the hands of an Ole Miss receiver).

Let's not get carried away in either direction on this. Fuente shouldn't be fired, but I don't think he's earned a comparison (of any kind) to Saban. I mean, I like him more than Saban, but Saban already had success in both the B1G and SEC prior to taking the Bama job. All we have to go on is turning around Memphis. He did a great job, without a doubt. The question still remains whether that is going to translate to P5 success.

Maybe having this really rough season is actually a blessing in disguise. Missing the bowl game could allow us to move on to a new OC earlier in the coaching carousel, and I don't think we will have to worry about Fuente getting poached by someone like Oklahoma. Lastly, everyone talks about those extra practices. I think it would be more beneficial to get the younger guys in the weight room and working on speed as oppose to focus on beating a mid-level G5 opponent in some meaningless bowl.

They literally have 1 commit for 2019. He spent the last two years repeating the same mistakes his predecessors did: loading up on jucos for a couple of cheap wins while crippling long term prospects for the program. They got some wins, but they're in just as bad a place as when he took over.

Just filed: Colorado's Mike MacIntyre has been fired, sources tell ESPN. The Buffs (5-6) have lost six straight games after finishing 5-7 a year ago. MacIntyre led Colorado to 10 wins and a Pac-12 championship game berth in 2016 while earning national coach of the year honors.— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) November 18, 2018

Florida State is flirting with becoming a below average football program for a long time. I don't think I've ever seen a fanbase more impatient than theirs. Jimbo has one bad season, and he's essentially forced out the door (I know that he might have been going to College Station anyway, but let's not act like the FSU fanbase was exactly pleasant about anything that was happening last season). Then there were fans calling for Taggart's firing after their game against us. I get that the rest of the season has been a shitshow as well, but there is a culture problem right now at Florida State that won't be fixed in one offseason or with a lame swag surf. FFS, I've seen FSU fans saying that Taggart needs a bullet put through his head.

We're on our way to being Tennessee. Our fans need to chill the fuck out. We had a historically bad season. Our team looks worse than it has in a long long time. People are upset. That's understandable. But we also need to check ourselves a bit. One bad season isn't a reason to pull out the pitchforks. That's how programs, like Tennessee, end up in cfb purgatory. Let's relax and be more positive as we head into the off season. If next season is as bad or worse then I think it'll be a more appropriate time to pull out the pitchforks. But now is too early.

It's literally been 24 months since the college football world was putting us on the back saying we were such a special fanbase for how patient we were with Beamer and how Fuente was a perfect fit. And we're currentlu doing our damndest to urinate and defecate all over that reputation. And some of the more prominent social media voices are the ones fanning those flames the most.

"Some days you’re a horse and some days you’re a horse’s ass. I’ve been a horse’s ass for a little while." - Roy Halladay

I don't see many calls for that but he's not helping himself with his full throated defense of Cornelsen. He puts himself in the unfortunate position of looking like he's choosing his buddy over the program. He made it clear to the players he would choose the program over them. If he acknowledged a little bit that he and Cornelsen are going to examine play calling and do everything they can to right the ship, people would be less upset. He has started moving in that direction without explicitly saying it, but it's getting a little late with the incredibly horrible performances. You can't deny a problem that everyone sees even if they don't know what they are looking at.

Unfortunately all of this stuff bubbles up.

There are a myriad of other explanations...

It's Willis's fault. But who chose to recruit Willis despite his record at Kansas and who's coaching him and why hans't he improved. I personally think Willis is serviceable.

It's execution. We're about to play our 11th game. Shouldn't we know how to execute our offense? If not, doesn't that suggest there's some other problem than "crappy players" (I don't think they're crappy but the insertion is they are), who were recruited by this staff?

What I am starting to get really concerned about is that a QB's development seems to be limited to what they learn from getting experience alone.

Evans clearly felt he had nothing to gain by staying. I was on board with the idea the he should have stayed, and developed, but I'm not so sure about that anymore.

JJ hasn't really developed that much. He was pretty good last year. He was about the same this year.

Willis doesn't seem like he's come along all that much. His performance here is better than at Kansas, but the players here are better as well.

Hooker has yet to throw a single pass, and we had plenty of garbage time against W&M. Please understand, I have nothing against Hooker. He didn't recruit himself and he certainly isn't coaching himself.

AJ Bush was also selected by this staff. He didn't turn out either. He's getting playing time at Illinois but he as 5TD to 9 INTs... It doesn't seem his time here helped.

Now we're using QP as some kind of battering ram at seemingly random moments.

The only group of players on the offense that seem to have developed at all are the wide receivers. It's possible Wiggins could be the best assistant coach on offensive side of the ball.

Any one of these issues in a vacuum is a head scratcher. All together they suggest something else is wrong.

I also don't understand the unwillingness to believe some of our assistant coaches could be in over their heads. There are 129 FBS football teams. That's not a lot. The chances of any one coach at any level being able to be good at the FBS level is pretty low. We can't just think that because a particular coach is on our staff they are the absolute best option we have.

Expecting better from our offense (which would still result in lost games) does not make us Tennessee. That is a total straw man. SEC coaches get fired for not make the CFP and not winning Natties (see Mark Richt). I doubt anyone would be upset with Fuente or Cornelson if our offense (which is their specialty) looked up to the part and our defense completely fell apart. Do you think people would be as upset about a 52-49 Pitt Loss? I'm sure most people would have shrugged off a 52-45 loss. Nobody is going to overlook a 52-22 loss. Not against that defense.

Both sides of the ball look bad but the defense's problems are obvious, and the defense is run by a guy that has decades of experience in putting up top ranked P5 defenses.

Ultimately Fuente can help himself by acknowledging something needs to be improved. He's moving that way (like I said at the top of this reply) by hinting at "putting players in a better position to succeed." That's kind of saying, better preparing them and calling the right plays. He really didn't help himself with the, "This is the same guy that set 10 records," comment. That was not received well and he's still suffering the consequences for it because it sounded arrogant and tone deaf.

As I've said before, Fuente has the potential to be a great head coach, but he really needs to work through the PR part of the job better. Being a HC is more than just football. He's the CEO of a $87M company who's brand is going to bowl games and beating UVA. That brand is in danger of being lost under his watch.

He puts himself in the unfortunate position of looking like he's choosing his buddy over the program. He made it clear to the players he would choose the program over them. If he acknowledged a little bit that he and Cornelsen are going to examine play calling and do everything they can to right the ship, people would be less upset.

Let's wait and see what happens... Beamer wasn't throwing O'cainspring under the bus with a game left in the season. He might just be waiting until the season ends. We'll see.

It's execution. We're about to play our 11th game. Shouldn't we know how to execute our offense? If not, doesn't that suggest there's some other problem than "crappy players" (I don't think they're crappy but the insertion is they are), who were recruited by this staff?

Granted this example is from the defense, but it took Stroman and Bonner at least 3 seasons to become meaningful players. I really don't think 11 games is enough when the entire team is so young.

What I am starting to get really concerned about is that a QB's development seems to be limited to what they learn from getting experience alone.

Evans left because he wanted a pay check to support his family, and he wanted that pay check immediately. AJ Bush was a fill-in for the back up, as is Willis (Willis can't even run the read option, I don't know what he doesn't get, if it's a coaching failure, or what). To a degree, I agree with HH, and JJ, but it's tough to determine how much is the result of coaching and how much is the result of the player. The QP situation is mind boggling tbh. I don't like the 'we don't want to hurt our 3rd string' argument.

I think recruiting is a gripe, but remember, most of these guys are either Beamer recruits or 'best available pick ups' (Willis, Bush). There's a reason these guys are available.

Peoples and McClease are both much improved. Sam Rogers was also much improved in 2016. Running back recruiting needs to improve.

The only group of players on the offense that seem to have developed at all are the wide receivers. It's possible Wiggins could be the best assistant coach on offensive side of the ball.

Offensive line??? it's the best it's been since 2011, if not earlier.

I also don't understand the unwillingness to believe some of our assistant coaches could be in over their heads.

Honestly, I think it is tough to assign blame to youth versus coaching, especially when we have so little visibility to what's going on in the practices.

As I've said before, Fuente has the potential to be a great head coach, but he really needs to work through the PR part of the job better. Being a HC is more than just football. He's the CEO of a $87M company who's brand is going to bowl games and beating UVA. That brand is in danger of being lost under his watch.

Here, here. I think he was drawn to VT because it doesn't have the same 'fish bowl' that most of its peer institutions do. But that doesn't mean he can just ignore his PR responsibilities.

Evans clearly felt he had nothing to gain by staying. I was on board with the idea the he should have stayed, and developed, but I'm not so sure about that anymore.

Pure assumption. Evans wanted to get paid and left to get a paycheck. That doesn't mean he felt he had nothing to gain by staying.

JJ hasn't really developed that much. He was pretty good last year. He was about the same this year.

JJ led us to a winning season as a R-FR while being injured through the 2nd half the season, that alone is showing great development. This year was cut short and with what obviously has been a young struggling offense that needed experience. Contextually to the time he actually played showing quite good development.

Willis doesn't seem like he's come along all that much. His performance here is better than at Kansas, but the players here are better as well.

Disagree. It seems obvious, like Brewer, that Willis has a ceiling. That isn't meant as a knock on him it just is what it is.

Hooker has yet to throw a single pass, and we had plenty of garbage time against W&M. Please understand, I have nothing against Hooker. He didn't recruit himself and he certainly isn't coaching himself.

Often times recruits don't develop into starters. Hooker may yet surprise everyone but so far this is the case. It literally happens at every program.

AJ Bush was also selected by this staff. He didn't turn out either. He's getting playing time at Illinois but he as 5TD to 9 INTs... It doesn't seem his time here helped.

A transfer that was brought in to add depth and competition to the QB room. Wasn't made the starter, transferred and had a mediocre year as a starter at another program. How is this on Fuente who chose to start a QB that was better than him?

Now we're using QP as some kind of battering ram at seemingly random moments.

Without burning his redshirt, putting true freshman in games to help slow it down is not only smart but used at every program.

Being coached by a WR coach will affect this. I don't fault Burden on this as he switched to remain on staff and I respect that. He's a team player and kills it at recruiting.

The only group of players on the offense that seem to have developed at all are the wide receivers. It's possible Wiggins could be the best assistant coach on offensive side of the ball.

Disagree. I can still see problems with fundamentals and there have been far too many dropped balls to say that Wiggins is the best assistant coach on offense. We also have had numerous WRs have breakout games only to never see them again, or in Savoy's case transfer. IMO Burden is a better WR coach and should be switched back.

I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction:
“I served in the United States Navy"

Yes. Frequent mismanagement of time outs was his M.O., including one game where sat on his 2 time outs to allow us to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired one year. And another time when he tried to use a 4th time out, don't remember when that was.

Why? He'll probably follow him to USC. And not to belabor the point, but he very specifically stated that he would love to be coached by the first black national championship coach. Could that be Franklin in 3-4 yrs? Very possible.

It would appear that reports of Kingsbury's demise are premature. One source close to the program who would absolutely know if a decision has been made tells me he has not heard anything regarding Kingsbury's future at #TexasTech. #GunsUp#WreckEm— Zach Tanner (@ZTanner247) November 24, 2018

Thank you @TTUKingsbury for everything you have done for me and Texas Tech University! You believed in me when very few people did and helped me become the quarterback and person i am today!— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes5) November 24, 2018

I feel like the candidate pool is shallower than ever. Mike Novell and Venables are probably the top guys. Depending on the job, Babers has done well. Heupel had 1 good season, Kiffin didnt do that well this year. ISU guy, Matt Campbell?, could get some offers. But I dont see a lot of good candidates.

But Mack Brown? Yeah, the 67-year-old national title winner at Texas, retired since 2013, is a name floating around boosters at UNC. Given that Brown is second all-time in program wins at North Carolina (he coached the Heels from 1988-'97), this isn't quite as strange as Les Miles to Kansas, but the style (and age) of Brown is at odds with the desire among UNC insiders to get "younger and cooler," per one source.

Please let them be stupid enough to bring Mack Brown. If they're trying to become younger and cooler, Kliff Kingsbury becomes an obvious choice for them.

From what I'm told the combination of USC not having a president currently, Helton's buyout and what it would cost to hire a big name coach, who is presumably already a head coach somewhere, resulted in Clay Helton remaining the head coach at USC for at least one more season.— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 25, 2018

JMU coach Mike Houston made a statement and said he has been offered the job by Charlotte. He said he is interested in the job but didn't say whether or not he took the job. Said his focus is on Colgate.— Greg Madia (@Madia_DNRSports) November 28, 2018

Charlotte AD Mike Hill: "This morning we withdrew a contract offer that had been negotiated in good faith w/Coach (Mike) Houston & his representatives. This was based on the fact that last evening Coach Houston informed us he had interest exploring other coaching opportunities"— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 30, 2018

I love this for the memes, but I'm ready for Clemson to start getting their staff poached. Tony Elliot was mentioned as a candidate for GT, Brandon Streeter (QB coach and stud recruiter) mentioned as candidate for Tenn OC and likely other jobs, etc.

"Trinity officials were notified by police of a threat against the school due to Jeff Brohm deciding to remain at Purdue. While police investigate the threat classes are canceled and offices are closed on Thursday, Nov. 29." https://t.co/HYbk0fAYAN— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) November 29, 2018

According to the news this morning, Purdue has twice the money of Louisville. They get a 53 million check from the B!G every year. He was making 3.8 already and has a bigger budget for assistants at Purdue.

The phone of former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury has been ringing off the hook from NFL teams, including two that have given him firm offers. College offense has infiltrated the NFL and Kingsbury's superb knowledge of it is in high demand.— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) November 27, 2018

Scottie Montgomery fired at East Carolina. He will not coach finale against NC State. Defensive coordinator David Blackwell will coach ECU at NC State— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 29, 2018

Sources indicating that East Carolina is targeting JMU's Mike Houston for its head coaching job. He has told media in Virginia he's been offered Charlotte. A fascinating stare down is happening.— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 29, 2018

This makes a ton more sense to me than the Charlotte job, and probably why someone leaked that news prematurely yesterday.

-Cancel game against Tech, and leave the state. Check.
-Ignore phone calls about insurance payment or rescheduling. Check.
-Call up the road to schedule game against NCSt. Check.
-Still ignore Tech.....Check.
-Fire coach before last game. CHECK.

Bye Felicia.

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
@BuryHokie #ThanksFrank

But he does know the recruiting territory better than Corn, he is a good offensive mind, which we all agree Corn is not, and he doesn't have to be a head coach.
The only downside I really see to him being an offensive coordinator for Fu is him having to take the backseat which I don't think he will do really well

You put those words together, those are my favorite words, Popeyes and bahama
- Mike Burnup

Because many in the NFL have been monitoring... Spoke to a source close to Kliff Kingsbury who said Kingsbury hasn't agreed to any deal and is still vetting both college and NFL offers. This one is still early. https://t.co/OkylCBYktt— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 29, 2018

I'm from San Diego area. This is the 1st time that I've ever seen Oceanside lumped in with Del Mar and Carlsbad as a nice place to live. Unless things have changed dramatically, in the past 20 years, it's not horrible, but not on par with Del Mar or Carlsbad.

Agree with this. Lived in Carlsbad and worked at Viasat. Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Leucadia are very nice. Oceanside is nice too, but can't touch any of the N San Diego beach towns mentioned here.
Del Mar and Solana Beach are off the hook nice. And then, there's Lajolla. $$$ Phew! $$$ nice.

That's not a SoCal thing. It's a city thing. Name any city, anywhere, and there's shitty things about it that are just kinda accepted and easy to ignore if you haven't already made up your mind that you hate it.

LA isn't for everybody, a lot of people love it and will even move cross country to be there. I tend to agree with you, you couldn't pay me to live in LA, even though I already have friends and family there. I want to live in a city where you can walk everywhere instead of driving 30 minutes to go maybe 5 miles at all hours of the day. Kingsbury might not care, or maybe like LeBron, he sees a lot of opportunity in SoCal.

Disagree with so much of this. I love LA. Sure traffic sucks at times, but I like in NOVA so i'm used to it. Agree that real estate prices suck, but most metropolitan cities are like that and not just LA.

the Ohio State Mafia has been out in full force since the story broke. And McMurphy has been proven right again and again, but it still doesn't matter. Most of the stuff out of Columbus on twitter lately has been downright disgusting bile.

"Some days you’re a horse and some days you’re a horse’s ass. I’ve been a horse’s ass for a little while." - Roy Halladay

edit: I may have interpreted the tweet wrong. I think Tyrod may just be just jockeying for Stiney here.

One of sharpest minds in the game and always a positive figure in my corner @BryanStiney.. JMU I can't think of a better man to be at the helm of The Dukes! @BourneJeff— Tyrod Taylor (@TyrodTaylor) December 4, 2018

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Alabama OC Mike Locksley will be Maryland's coach, sources told @WatchStadium. He will be introduced at school Thursday. "Maryland football has been through unique hardships & needs Mike Locksley as much as he may need to be home at Maryland," source said https://t.co/CdWJ9M8fpo— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 5, 2018

The difference between Collins and Golden is that Collins is/was a better recruiter, and we rarely recruit head to head with Miami. Our recruiting footprint is basically the east coast starting in DMV/Baltimore going south to Atlanta area. We want the worst recruiters in those schools as possible. Having great recruiters at PSU and Clemson, much less UNC and GT will be a thorn in our side. These hires could definitely cause a domino effect that results in 1-3 less four stars for VT each year.

"I believe he is the kind of candidate that we would look for," Nasser, the senior vice president for spiritual development at Liberty, told the website.

Dave, we all believed that about Liberty, you don't need to tell us.

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Can't circle the wagons unless there is criticism from outside. By acting in heinous ways that invite criticism, they get to act persecuted and sell people on the idea that their identity is being attacked, not their actions. Which makes people who vaguely support them but don't pay much attention to the details double down on their commitment as a shield from any negative opinions. So now they reap increased credibility from within in their circle while also winning football games (which increases money, both of which increase outside credibility). This move is a win-win for them.

That's true. Honestly, in a vacuum, I don't think Freeze is nearly as terrible as some other coaches. Slime bag for sure who cheated blatantly, left his previous school a smoldering mess, and had a penchant for prostitutes, but no where near the level of the McCaw. It's more the extreme hypocrisy of a religious institution hiring a man who made a mockery of all the values they supposedly hold.

good question. They can be very calculated, but that does not preclude crazy. I mean, they intentionally put some of the members through law school then plan protests that stay just on the right side of legal. They push their opponents into crossing that line then they sue like crazy, win, and fund their efforts.

In the words of the great Keanu Reeves, "crazy, not stupid."

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Can I just say I am so proud of my wife. She was an athlete at Liberty before all this crap with McCaw on a team that worked there way up in the NCAA by winning their conferences. She just texted a group of friends how annoyed she is with the Athletic Department with McCaw all that and how they constantly hound her for money and asking to attend football games to show support. She finished the text with a mic drop.

I still want to kick their ass like we did a couple years ago. I don't care who the coach is, what scandal they are on today, or what values they pretend to uphold, I want to mow the field with them, and take their cheerleaders for ransom.

Even if they do get into a conference, its only a matter of time before the P5 go toward an insular scheduling format, effectively locking out the G5. And I don't see any P5 conferences that would really welcome Liberty at this point. Maybe the BXII, but after going through what they did with Baylor, I'm sure they'd be extremely apprehensive to Liberty now.

"Some days you’re a horse and some days you’re a horse’s ass. I’ve been a horse’s ass for a little while." - Roy Halladay

But they don't need a conference, they're the evangelical version of Notre Dame...

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Notre Dame at least allows alcohol consumption at their tailgates. Liberty does not. Why would any conference want Liberty to join where their fans can pay money to travel to an away game and not truly tailgate.

Is this documented, based on personal knowledge, or just an assumption? Honestly curious.

"Our job as coaches is to influence young people's lives for the better in terms of fundamental skills, work ethic, and doing the right thing. Every now and again, a player actually has that effect on the coaching staff." Justin Fuente on Sam Rogers

#NorthTexas OC Graham Harrell is staying with the Mean Green, per source, contrary to report that said he was going to be the OC at #UNC on Mack Brown's staff.— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 7, 2018

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Army DC Jay Bateman has done some job. Held OU and Kyler Murray to 28--next lowest anyone did vs Sooners was keeping them to 37. Today was the 7th time held an opponent to 14 points or less. The year before he arrived Army didn't hold a single FBS opponent under 16.— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 8, 2018

Have you read any good articles summing this up to date? Perfect term for what's been happening. It's across the board, facilities are being built everywhere or getting big time renovations. Head and assistant coaches, conference commissioners, ADs, all of their salaries have skyrocketed. It would be fascinating to the see the ascensions of the budgets and expenses of athletic departments over the last 15-20 years.

For the long-time season ticket holders, how drastically have prices changed over the years? Anybody remember what they were paying way back vs today or recent years?

Thanks for sharing this. It was insightful in respect to coaching salaries.

I appreciated the last paragraph

in 149 years, college football has moved from club leisure activity to professional endeavor.
And many people — besides the athletes — have generated generational wealth while participating in it. Because the athletes can't be paid above a cost-of-attendance stipend, the money has to go somewhere. By continually increasing amounts, coaching salaries is one major place the money goes.

I'm not sure how FCS success translates to coaching FBS. If anything we've seen it's a slow process.

Craig Bohl at Wyoming, Todd Monken, Everett Withers at Texas State, and Willie Fritz at Tulane I can think of off the top of my head. Withers did awful and Bohl (last NDSU guy) still tbd. Fritz will be fine but has had very slow growth. Monken clearly has done great but he's also in a different category with the triple option at a service academy.

Scott Satterfield was coaching at App St. when they were in their last year in the FCS. Almost beat Tennessee three years ago and almost beat Penn State in their home turf. They won 7 games the first year in FBS but couldn't go to a bowl game because of the transition year. Have been to a bowl the past two years and have won both games.

Monken: best season at Army in decades
Bohl: hosted Mountain West Title game just a year or so ago
Fritz: Tulane is going bowling since....Bowden
Satterfield: led transition at App St, current Sun Belt Champs

Another lower level to FBS transitions:
Leipold at Buffalo: best regular season in a decade
Frank Beamer: 23 straight bowl games, shot at a national title

I mean of course you can find examples of people who win but as far as getting home run hires I'm not convinced. It's at least clear it takes time to adjust. I'd rather have someone with a system that's proven at the level of the job and experience recruiting p5 or mid fbs level players.

Also it's petty but Satterfield doesn't really count and Tulane went bowling in 2013.

Most of the frustration I've heard comes from the fact that he's coaching NDSU through the playoffs, and thus will miss the early signing period for KState. All the response to the actual hire has been positive.

"I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible." -Justin Fuente

John Papuchis also reportedly joining the staff. Don't know how the on-field product will end up, but this is a recruiting-heavy staff that will certainly be a thorn in our sides for the next several years. No question about that.

So what's Texas's, USC's, Tennessee's, FSU's, Auburn's, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina's issues? While recruiting can solve many things you still have to at least have decent plan for X's And O's how to use them.

Well... I'm not sure why you included Kentucky, Arkansas, or South Carolina in that list but I'll take a stab at the rest...

At the P5 level, unless there is a major competency gap at the head coaching spot, the talent (mental and physical) you recruit matters more than the marginal advantage you can realize through player development and scheme. And at the P5 level, there generally isn't that large a competency gap at the HC position.

The schools you're citing suffered down turns due to significant competency gaps at the HC spot that impacted recruiting, player development, and donor support. They were situations where the coaches had either checked out/were on autopilot, or were run out of town due to scandal/egregious incompetence. I don't view that as a good bar for comparison. I would rather compare apples to apples. Good coaching to good coaching. And when I do that, I see that when coaching competence is comparable, it's the athletes that make the difference.

You can be PJ and beat bad teams with your scheme and "coaching prowess" and average a solid 7-5 record over a decade. But you'll do a whole lot better if you recruit better talent.

I'll concede that one possible data point in support of the argument I think you're making is Mark Richt. That guy is seemingly a solid coach who consistently underachieves with an abundance of talent. There are exceptions to every rule. Or maybe he's just not a very good coach.

Maryland isn't winning a division or conference championship much less a national championship. So the whole Jimmie and Joes being greater than X's and O's Doesn't work. Every top team has top recruits AND top coaches.

I don't think you're actually addressing any of what I said in my TLDR post so I'll just respond that there are plenty of teams with top coaches and less than top recruits. Those teams don't win championships.

As for UMD's football success... we'll see I suppose. But with the staff they're assembling, it's clear they understand it will take relative talent to beat OSU and UM.

Very much agree with your last statement. The best teams have a strong emphasis on recruiting as well as scheme and coaching. I think the point being made is that Jimmies and Joes (ie raw talent) greatly increases your margin for error, far more so than scheme. An Alabama team coached by Daffy Duck has a greater chance of beating a team with average talent but stronger coaches. If they played ten times, the lesser talented team may steal a few with limited mistakes and a solid gameplan, but the odds will always be in the favor of the greater talent. Even when scheme breaks down (which it can and will at the college level), having superior talent can still win you ballgames.

They likely won't with any consistency. However I think with that much recruiting power, they are going to be a problem on the trail at least for the next several years. They may not ever win the B1G East, but every recruit they beat us for in the DMV is chips into our talent level and overall recruiting efforts. Same thing with UNC, the bigger concern is a losing a few more recruits here and there each year that we needed, not that they will become a powerhouse.

I agree, but it's not like we've been kicking ass and taking names in Maryland and DC, so I'm not sure we need to have a lot of angst.

In fact, we've been in some tough recruiting battles with Penn State and Ohio State. Recruiting is going to be tough, regardless.

Maryland is picking up some names to impress recruits. I don't blame them. Would that make sense at VT? I'm not as sure it would. I saw how well Butch Jones did in recruiting, but that was at Tennessee, and I saw how well they did on the field.

Maryland likely did get a great deal on Butch Jones, if you think he's great. He's still getting paid by Tennessee, and wasn't making very much at all at Alabama, I think $35K.

Maryland still seems like a flashy gimmick to me. We'll see how it pans out. Ultimately, you have to win games.

My point being, if things were already tough, recruiting in the region just got tougher. Clemson, OSU, Penn State etc aren't going anywhere, and now two regional schools have amped up their staffs with proven recruiting prowess. Flash, big names, and hype can win a lot of recruiting battles, for better or for worse.

It isn't really a Fuente vs locksley argument. It's more expectations of Fuente vs the reality. If VT is truly still on track to be an ACC champ and playoff contender in the next couple of years, how are we going to ensure we have the talent level needed if our primary recruiting bases are even more competitive, if things were already tough? That's I think the question on a lot of people's minds.

Yeah, recruiting is far and away the biggest drag on program success. In spite of all the discussion about player development, scheme, play-calling, adjustments, etc... it's recruiting that is keeping the VT from competing for championships. And while there has been definite improvement at certain positions, the average talent across all positions (and some key positions) is no where near where it needs to be. And it doesn't seem like it will get there any time soon. The current staff was hired to surpass what Frank accomplished, not to just try and match it... so I think there is some legitimate frustration around this failure.

That's just it, it's a little early in the Fuente years to be calling it a failure.

And not just any program can advance. I'd say the jury is still out on whether VT takes a step forward or not, and it's a little early to be conceding anything Maryland as well. They hired a salesman, but so far his coaching leaves a lot to be desired. There's a reason we pay coaches a lot of money, and head coaches even more.

The programs who fire their coaches every few years don't seem to get success that way, even if they hire great salesmen.

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

I mean, what, you think that Miami losing arguably the best coach they had on staff and the reason for their surge back to relevance in 2017 leaving to go to Temple in a reverse Golden is going to have ripple effects in the ACC which may benefit us in the end?

You mean to tell me 2019 might see a Coastal Division without the triple option, Fedoraball, AND the turnover chain?

"Some days you’re a horse and some days you’re a horse’s ass. I’ve been a horse’s ass for a little while." - Roy Halladay

Miami has history and location, yes. But their budget is shockingly poor. Probably the single biggest thing holding them back, and that probably won't change anytime soon.

I'm not doubting you. I just honestly have no idea. I thought Miami was a private school and didn't have to share financial info regarding staff. So I'm curious how you know that they have budget issues.

I don't think Miami is poor, but similar to (if not moreso than) GT, the university is not interested in supporting the athletic department. Their previous AD also made a ton of comments and decisions indicating that she wasn't willing to spend a lot of money on football team.

The only reason Florida schools are able to keep up is the best players are there, from a facilities standpoint they are terrible. FSU is the best and Jimbo ditched them. UF's coaching offices are in the stadium( or just moved out, not sure on construction timelines. Miami is the worst of them. Miami has always received less support for football and athletics in general. They are a small private school that has more academic interests. That's why their fans are some of the worst, most never went to miami.

Miami already has the problem of having a ton of skill position talent with no offensive line or QB to complement it. Now you throw this in and they could be looking at an 8-4 ceiling next season plus depth issues down the road.

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

BREAKING: #WVU's Dana Holgorsen is expected to become the next head coach at #Houston, per sources. UH offered Holgorsen the kind of deal that WVU brass wouldn't at $20 million over five years. The deal is expected to be wrapped up in the next 36 hours. SB Nation was first on it.— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 1, 2019

What a weird move from Holgo but LOL @ the cousins.

EDIT: Nvm it's a genius move fr. More money, easier to win, don't have to play Oklahoma, and he had a rebuilding job set in 2019. Props to him.

Eh, the AD (who didnt hire him) was playing games with Holgerson. I dont see there AD lasting long with some of the rumors. But you can't make a great hire if there isn't any position to hire for so here we are.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Mack Brown now try to hire former Miami asst Stacy Searels as his next O-line coach at UNC. Searels was his OL coach for a few years at Texas and Brown had interest in him before Jones got the Tar Heels job I'm told. https://t.co/a8BUlfaYYd— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 6, 2019